This invention relates to a network system, in particular to creating flexibility and change ability, and to improvement in manageability for an operator who makes access to it.
FIG. 14 shows a typical network system. To a host computer 2 are connected a plurality of terminal computers 61, 62, 63, . . . , 6n. Each of the terminal computers 61, 62, 63, . . . , 6n can use the software in the host computer 2. Also, the data in the host computer 2 may be shared with the terminal computers 61, 62, 63, . . . , 6n. Therefore, an important advantage is provided, for example, in creating a database updated by the terminal computers 61, 62, 63, . . . , 6n. Another advantage is that the terminal computers 61, 62, 63, . . . , 6n can exchange data among themselves through the host computer 2.
However, conventional network systems such as described above have the following problems.
The terminal computers 61, 62, 63, . . . , 6n respectively have hardware IDs or software protocols by means of which the host computer 2 manages the terminal computers 61, 62, 63, . . . , 6n. Therefore, when the terminal computers 61, 62, 63, . . . , 6n are to be changed in number or type, cumbersome work is required to change the hardware IDs or software protocols of the terminal computers or to change terminal computer registration on the side of the host computer 2. This prevents the network constitution (connection state of the terminal computers) from being changed flexibly according to the purpose of use of the network.
Another problem with the conventional arrangement in which the management is made at each terminal is that the host computer cannot identify a person who makes access to a terminal computer. As a result, the accessing person is unknown and accurate management is impossible.
Another problem is that, when a network is created through a public communication line, the public communication line has to be connected all the time. This is uneconomical.
The object of the invention is to provide a network system capable of solving the above problems, with advantages of flexibility, changeability, economy, and accurate management of the accessing person.
The network management method and the network system are characterized in that a software program started in each terminal computer is provided with a software code in advance and that the host computer creates a network of software programs, having the same software code, chosen from among the software programs which are started at respective terminal computers. By the way, the term xe2x80x9cnetworkxe2x80x9d as used herein refers to a state in which the host computer is connected to one or more terminal computers.
The network management method and the network system are also characterized in that a host computer discriminates authenticity of a user ID sent from each of the terminal computers, permits access only when the user ID is authentic, and creates a network.
The network connection possibility display method is characterized in that accessible networks only are displayed on a display device on the basis of user ID codes.
The network management method and the network system are further characterized in that a host computer stores programs or data corresponding to respective networks and that the host computer creates a network by interconnecting the programs or data when creating the network with software programs having the same software code.
The network management method and the network system are still further characterized in that when a software program running on a terminal computer requests data and the data are stored in the terminal computer, the data are obtained from the terminal computer and that when the data are stored in a host computer, the terminal computer is connected to the host computer through a communication path and the data are obtained from the host computer.
The network management method and the network system are also characterized in that when data to be obtained are stored in a host computer, the terminal computer is connected to the host computer through a communication path and the data are obtained from the host computer while both of the computers remain in the state of connection and then the connection is broken.
The network management method and the network system are also characterized in that when data to be obtained are stored in both a host computer and a terminal computer, the terminal computer is connected to the host computer through a communication path, the data in the host computer are compared with the data in the terminal computer and, if the data in the host computer have been updated, the connection is broken after at least the updated portion of the data are copied and stored from the host computer to the terminal computer and, if both data are identical to each other, the connection is broken in that state.
The network management method and the network system are farther characterized in that when data to be obtained are stored in a host computer, the terminal computer is connected to the host computer through a communication path, the data in the host computer are copied from the host computer and stored in the terminal computer and then the connection is broken, and thereafter the data are obtained from the terminal computer.
The network management method and the network system are also characterized in that when data to be obtained are stored in a host computer but cannot be copied, the terminal computer is connected to the host computer through a communication path, the data in the host computer are obtained while both of the computers remain in the state of connection and then the connection is broken.
The network management method and the network system are still further characterized, in that a host computer discriminates authenticity of a user ID sent from each of the terminal computers and permits connection to the host computer only when the user ID is authentic.